I watch the mages prepare the ritual.

We're in the main hall, which is a damp and for a sewer stupidly spacious. At first Silvana hung around me too, but I kicked her out when she began to stare at me with the clouded eyes of a maniac. One time of being molested by her was enough for me to get the importance of yandere management... Also, if she starts a scene, the worst case is that she might somehow fuck up the ritual in the process too. There are enough crazy people in this room anyway.

Speaking of the Harmbringers, they have prepared their magic circle in the middle of the large room. It looks like a cross between demon summoning circle and a druidic henge, yet it's clearly more complex than either of those. Seven dark stones encircle a complicated pattern with an asymmetric design, centered by a stone boulder low and smooth like a table.

My guess is that its purpose is to preprogram the spell sequence needed to accomplish the ritual. Based on what they said earlier, there's locating exact spot in hell with the summoning, pulling in the remains of the summonee and reconstructing them with flesh magic. Oh, and to bind it to obey the summoners, presumably the same way undead and flesh golem constructions are bound. That's a pretty crucial part, I'd think.

"Second to last phase... may begin..."

The necromancer, apparently satisfied with his preparations, announces this lethargically. In contrast to him the two others are visibly anxious.

"Soon, very soon!"

"Everything is going according to the plan. Now..."

They all turn to look at me. I've been spectating their work since I returned earlier today; they hardly paid any attention when I told of my success, but now they apparently want me for something. They hinted that I'd need to do something later, after all.

"...you, succubus!"

"What is it, human?!"

The demonologist woman only barely kept her contempt for succubi in check, so I answered in kind.

"G-go bring us the s-sacrifice!"

What.

" What she means is... it'd be convenient if... you charmed... one of the captives we prepared... for this ritual..."

"Yeah. It's pain in the ass when they scream and struggle, you know?"

Human sacrifice? Will the flesh mask dude go 'Kalimaaaa! Kalimaaaaaaa!' and remove the poor sod's heart or something? Of course, since they are most obviously evil mages, something like this was quite possible. Still, sacrificing people bothers me. ...Not that one person matters when the whole city is toast soon enough anyway, though.

"We got some healthy specimens in the dungeons, so just pick one for us. Oh, and we'll begin the final phase at midnight, so feel free to play around with the rest of them until then!"

He gives me a wink and smirks. Gross.

Still, while they gave a reason, I get the feeling they just don't want me to see what comes next. Hmmmh. Right, technically I could be summoned by another mage and then divulge information about this ritual, so I guess they want to protect their secrets by leaving out some crucial part? Great. Copy rights followed me into this world...

Of course, there could be some other ulterior motive here... Regardless, pissing them off at this point would just put my plans at a risk, so I comply.

***

As I leave the large chamber, I pass by various guardians of the Harmbringers, and get a good look at them. There really is anything from skeletal undead to artificial monsters that are very much alive. It's more like they were just experimenting different methods rather than creating an army. Yes, that must be it indeed. To prepare for reviving the 'Great Destroyer' they researched every possible way to create a monster.

Also, in the fleshy side there seem to be, what I'd call 'work' creations and 'hobby' creations. The work creations are simple and practical, like a hulking flesh golem. And the hobby creations are... weird. Like, in every meaning of the word.

I stop as one of those passes by; a centaur-like monster appears from behind a corner.

"Whoa..."

It - or rather she - has lower body like that of a large rabbit, built from parts of larger animals, and upper body of a woman... with three voluptuous breasts. I watch in hypnotic silence as the bunnytaur hops past me. ...Lots of bouncing was involved.

Unless she has some insane distraction dodge-bonus, I don't see too much battle-performance in that design though. That, in addition to knowledge that sane people have no aptitude for flesh magic, adds up to my conclusion that the flesh mask dude really made some of these monsters for less than practical reasons...

Unlike their suggestion, I don't go to the dungeon yet though. They presumed I'd just love tormenting prisoners and would happily spend the remaining few hours with that, but I wouldn't do something so... pointless.

I decided to use the free time I have more productively by doing the standard RPG protagonist fiddle & loot routine. After all, I might find some information that'll be useful. I'm not breaking any urns to check if there are coins inside though - I do have some restraint.

Rooms spawn from the corridor at irregular intervals. The tunnel network is surprisingly vast, and the stonework in adjacent chambers looks more recent than the rest of the sewers; the mages must have had their minions expand this area. Not that there is much of interest in these rooms though, since they've already stuffed everything of importance into the main ritual chamber.

In the one room that isn't full body parts or other crap, I find a much more cozy furniture, with chairs and bookcases spread out. Also, a podium in central place with a big tome on it. Naturally I take a look at it.

"So this is their 'holy' book then...?"

It's full of what I could only describe as troll logic... 'Weak exist to be stepping stones for the strong' followed by instructions to how to literally flatten elderly / sick people into good stepping stones. This all is permeated with catchy social darwinism.

I literally have cold shivers runs down my spine. Not because of the cringy contents... No, it's because I have a faded recollection of this book.

I of course already did have an inkling back when those three parroted excerpts from this. But I didn't want to think about it. It was too embarrassing to admit, even to myself.

I turn the next page. I take a guess what follow: it's going to be... 'Chapter 9 - Think like an apex predator'... Yes. Yes it was. 'Be on the top of your food chain. Every one but you is a sheep--'.

Nggghh...! I slam the book shut now that it's confirmed. It's not just that I've read this... I wrote this.

Or rather, my previous incarnation did.

I remember only fragments, but that's enough. That personality had read a book misinterpreting various philosophies, pseudo-philosophies and political ideologies, and then proceeded to maul them some more by writing this book. And now these three mages - who understand even less - are making their own misinterpretations.

This is like an interdimensional version of that game where people whisper a message to the next one in line, with its original meaning getting more and more distorted!

But more importantly, this ascertains my recovery. There's of course the fact that they are completely vile, with not even a shred of ends justifying means. And I was the one who instigated them. Wouldn't that be worth, like, a combo multiplier for the evil essence gains right there?

...Still, should I be worried that these people will soon get far too much power though? So far I, this incarnation, have not done anything really bad, I think... Helping with that dwarf genocide doesn't count! Anyway, if they are for real, this could be big. Like, the whole world gets fucked up big. Maybe I shouldn't...

No. Like I decided earlier, there's no way to know how and when I have another chance. The next one might be even worse, like ending up helping out actually competent fantasy Hitler or something.

But... After I have helped them complete the ritual, after the contract is fulfilled... And when I've recovered my powers with vengeance, then there would be nothing to stop me from... betraying them and taking the prize for myself?

"Ha ha ha ha hah ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Oops... I was influenced by one of my incarnations bit there. Ahem.

But the idea isn't bad. Or rather, is just the right kind of bad for a demon. Although... then what? Best case, I control the 'Great Destroyer'. Then what? Conquer the world? ...Then what? Have my subjects build giant golden statue of their empress, no, goddess? Usher the world in new era of science and enlightenment? Outlaw cheese?! ...More like spend every day managing idiots whom I can barely tolerate even at small dozes. Meh.

Haah. It seems I'm too lazy and selfish to care ambitions like that. Alright. As a compromise I'll decide what to do on the go. Being flexible about it isn't a bad idea, after all. And if the 'Great Destroyer' they are summoning is cute or cool, maybe I'll want it as a pet...

***

As I continue my rounds, I start to get apprehensive. There's the ritual of course, but that's not all. It's Silvana. Or rather the lack of her dull yandere eyes staring at me from the shadows.

Sure, I ejected her rather bluntly, but I didn't expect her to disappear completely. I should have

run into her by now, or seen or heard her stalking me. Unless she left the lair completely, or is

back in the ritual chamber, there's no other place for her to be but... the dungeons.

Well. I needed to be there anyway. I can't think of a reason for her to be there though, but... Ah. If she's actually there, bound and all like 'Mistress! Aaah, punish me harder!' I'll lock the door and bend the key into a ball.

As I walk down the stairs I can see a figure in chains.

"Why are you so predictabl-- Eh?"

I stop before the stairs end, surprised.

It's bound, gagged, and... muscly?

What awaits me there is not a heavily breathing elf, no... it's a bunch of gagged and blindfolded hunks, all very buff and very... naked. Three of them are hanging from the chains that accommodated the adventurers earlier.

Anyway... Ummmmmmm... Right. Flesh mask did say the captives were healthy specimens, but... that big? That's almost scary. Also, bit annoying.

Geh, the one's on the left got a bit bigger just now!

"Mmphp!?"

"MMmhhhHmmph! MMMPHHP!!!"

Any succubus would gleefully bite at these struggling and helplessly chained victims. Actually, they might very well go overboard and drain all of them. I'm not the least bit interested though. Actually, this is sort of gross.

Despite gaining some of my older memories, the most recent personality defines me - including the preferences. And this is not it. Not at all. ...Ironically it's myself that fits mine the best. 'Tis tragic, truly.

I shake my head. Is it too late to get the flesh mage to make a clone of me? I heard they can do something like that, with enough tinkering-- Hmm?

Still standing at the end of stairs, I notice something give a glint at my peripheral vision. What was that?

I take one more look at the room. I can see nothing wrong though. Well, except the blackened, vaguely man and cat shaped stains...

"Strange."

Just about to step in, I see it again as I move my head... a light reflecting at an almost invisible line that is... set horizontally at the doorway at the bottom of these stairs.

A trapwire? I crouch to peek at it. The line goes up towards the mechanism that rises and lowers an extra heavy door. Come to think of it, they were able to capture the adventurers including Silvana earlier. It must have been traps like this that caught them then. But just why would they want to trap me? Either way, this goes beyond suspicious.

Further inspection reveals another line, this one cut. So... they had already caught someone or something with this live bait? And then put another line in the same place.

But who or what could have been the previous quarry? Assuming the bait was these same chained up dudes, it could have been someone lusty, someone helpful, or someone hungry...

I stare at the three chained dudes. They mumble something at me, it might have been 'death by snuu snuu', but I ignore that. There's... bite marks on them? I guess I can cross 'helpful' from the list of possibilities.

Wait a minute... Silvana is missing, and a trap has been sprung... could it be...? No, absolutely not. If there's one thing I can be sure of, it's that that elf wouldn't sexually assault anyone but me. But... maybe the hunks somehow offended me and she bit them out of sheer anger? Uhh. I hope not.

Once again I know too little to make any proper presumptions.

"..."

But this all is certainly annoying! This is what you get for working with evil people... betrayal. And they thought of it before me too! How shameless.

Did they want to keep me from backstabbing them this way? Or did the flesh mask want succubus bodyparts for his monster creation? Or was the sour-faced demonologist bitch looking to mete out little vengeance on me for being a succubus? Or has the necromancer awaken to some previously unknown fetish involving blonde succubi with perfect looks that is so extreme even a succubus wouldn't agree to it?!

In any case, if they were ready to trap me, then they could very well have other nasty tricks waiting. Also, there was rather worrying number of those monsters of theirs. I think the survivor's choice would be to chicken out and let them wait for me in vain.

Yeah, whatever fiendish plan they have, it has nothing to do with me now. The contract is practically annulled and only an entrenched enemy would await me.

Alright. It's decided. I will just leave here and PURGE THIS EVIL--

.........

......

...

Huh? I feel like I skipped a heartbeat just now. What was that?

...Well, never mind. I continue onwards to the ritual chamber extra carefully. They won't get away with this!

Though I got to give them credit for having balls of iron-carbon alloy if nothing else... not just anyone would go through with trapping a demon.